Battery-box-forming machine



S. EIHALL.

BATTERY BOX FURMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 1919.

1,353,339, PatentedSept. 21, 1920.

- WvE/vmfi' 25224-22 W.

UNITED s 'Arssr Ts T o g e 1* sTEwAnrn. HALL, or AK ROl\T.-OHIO, Ass-Ienonor ONE-THIRD ro SL ANQ .Q 3'

MAUMEE, OI-IIO, AND ONE-THIRD TO-EARL HOWABLD wonxi vonrt, or Amen, onto.

BATTERY-BQX-FORMING MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept 21,

" Application filed November 6, 1919. Serial No; 336,202. Y

dent of Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Battery-BoxForming Machine; and I do hereby .declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a machine whereby boxes may be readily formed of rubber thatwhen vulcanized. becomeshardland stifi .and usable i'mr containing the salts and the solutions commonly used in connection with batteries. It also has means for providing supporting or partitioning ribs in thebottom of .the box. The boxes, when formed onthe machine embodying my invention, may be subsequently vulcanized and consequently forms :a box that will contain acids and alkalis without deterioration and yet one which will prevent'short circuiting of theelectrodes that may be inserted in the box. The particular object of the invention is to provide a machine whereby such boxes may be rapidly and cheaply made; I

Constructions containing my invention i may in their details partake of different 35 forms and yet embody my invention. For purposes of illustration and description I have selected one' of such constructions and shall describe it hereinafter The construction selected is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

' Figure 1- of the I end view of the'construction selected.- Fig. 2 illustrates a side View of the machine,

and Fig. 3 31s an end view of the blockor mold on which the box is formed preparatory to vulcanizing the sheet ru'bbercom position-of which the box is composed.

l, in the-d1*awings,;is' asupporting table or base'on which the parts of the mechanism are mounted. 2 isan end plate conhectedto'thesupporting base or table 1-. 3

is a-spool which is "pivotally supported in a rotatable bracket 4. The bracket 4 I is pivotally supported on a -pin 5 which is connectedto the end plate2. The spool 3 drawings illustrates an isadaptedto receive a coil of sheet material which is. formed of a composition having a' rubber base whereby the sheet materialmay be subsequently vulcanizedand yet form a water, acid and alkali proof ;material which willalso; form an electric insulator;

Thesheet material issomewhatsoft in its' consistency and its coils tend to stick to,-

gether. its .coils are separated by .alayer officotton cloth which prevents to' acertairi extent the adherence of adjacent coils and '7 will moreover afford .a means for ready separation of the coils when the spool is nn- 1 1' wound; One. end} of the cotton strip..is wound upon a spool 6 which is .pivotally supported .on a movable .arm -7. Thearnr 7 is pivoted by means of the pin 18 :to the .mov-

- able bracket. 4.. The spool 6 byreason of its weight and its method of'supporton the arm 7.1;ests uponthecoil 9 located upon the spool 3 .and as the coil 9 is .rotatedithe spool 6 and the cotton fabric located there;

on will also be. rotated and will unwind the cotton strip from the coil v9 while the sheet rubber composition-is being drawn from the spool 3. The spool'i6'will mainadhere to a certain extent tothe vsurface'of the drum :10 and as the drum 10 draws the composition it willwoperate to'unwind'the coil 9 and towind up the cottoncloth on the spool-6; I p a The drum- 10 is connected by means of gear wheels 13,42 and 'ltto a spindle 15 which may be provided with a squareend 16. lAblock 17 may be placedovertheend of the spindle and secured in position :by any clamping means, such as thelu'gs:18, or

of the operator. Oneendof the'sheet rubber compositionis placed on a corner of the corner by I aslight pressure of .the hand of the operator. Thereupon'the spindle-l5 'may be rotated by any suitable Ineans,'.such as by a motor or byihand. :Inthe .latter: case tem its contact with the coil 9 until it is 10 whichis i9! being somewhat sticky in its nature will may beheld onto thespindle 1-5.:by:the hand v I ios the block 17 andcaused to adhere against the spindle 15 may be connected to a crank 19 and by a single turn of the crank 19 the sides 'offthe block 17 will be completely covered by the sheet rubber composition which is drawn over the drum from the coil 9. Upon a rotation of the spindle the gears 13 and ld will cause a slightly slower rotation of the drum 10 which will cause the sheet rubbercomposition to be.

-when the block 17 hasbeen partly covered with the rubber composition. A knife 20 is'connected to a handle 21 through a guide block 22 located between a pair ofparallel guide bars 23which are secured to the end plate 2 and .to a bracket 24 located on the upright'12. Theknife 20 'isso positioned,

The weight of the roller 25 causes it to.

relative to the drum 10 that it moves along the drum and so as to cut the sheet rubber composition on the bevel, that is, so as to skive the sheet rubber composition. The ends'of each severed part of the sheet rubber composition that are thus formed by the knife will meet 'at one of the corners of the block and will overla and by reason of the ends. being thus s ived they will eliminate the double thickness that would otherwise be formed, inasmuch as the skived edges or portions only overlap.

As the block is rotated to take up the sheet rubber composition, the portions of the rubber composition, that forms with the bottom, the corner of the box, is turned or flanged inward by a spinning operation. This is accomplished .by means 01": the roller 25 which is pivotally supported on an arm 26.- The arm 26 is pivotally supported on the pin 27" which is secured in adjustable relation in the upright 28.

press against the block 17 or, if the sheet material is interposed, against the sheet material located on vthe block. 3 The somewhat sticky character ofthe. sheetmaterial causes the roller 25 to quite positively rotate. The roller 25 is provlded with an enlarged head having aflat'fillet 29-which rotates on the edge of the sheet material and bends the edge inward so as to. form an inwardly extendingfiange.

1 The block 17 at oneend, is provided with transverse grooves or depressions 30 which is filled with pieces of. sheet rubber composition. These extend through the grooves ordepressions so as to make contact with the sheet material that is placed on the out side of the block 17.

":The box is'finished by securing the bottom to the sheet rubber composition that forms the side and the ribs that extend. through the slots or channel 30 of theblock .17. The bottom is. formed of a piece of sheet rubber composition 31 thatisp'laced flange formediby-the roller 25 and its head by means of the foot of the operator. The lever 34 is connected to the ram 33 by means of the link 35. The ram 33 may be drawn from the. block 17 by the operation of the weight 36 which is connected by means of the chain 37 that passes over the pulley 38 and is connected to the end of the ram33. I In order to insure the adherence of the sheet rubber composition to the block 17, the block 17 may be varnished with a suitable varnish which will cause the sheet composition to stick to the block. This .will also cause the flange formed by the roller 25 to adhere along the corner of the block 17 and also cause'the bottom strip 31 to adhere to the bottomof the block. The sheet rubber composition will readily adhere to its uncovered parts, that is, the sheet rubber composition of the rubber composition that forms the sides of the box will readily adhere to theends of the strips that are located in the channels or slots 30 and the bottom .31. will readily adhere to thefiange formed by the roller and also to the strips locatedin the channels or slots 30. ,When, the block has been covered it may be readily removed from the spindle15 and a new block inserted inits place and the operations repeated in the formation of another box. When a plurality of boxes have beenformed on blocks or molds 17 the sheet rubber composition maybe vulcanized by inserting theblocks and the sheet rubber composition covering the blocks in a vulcanizing furnace. The varnish'placed upon the blocks for; causing adherence of the sheet rubber composition is of such character that'in the vulcanizing operation it will either dry out-or'crystalliz e in such'a way that adherence between the sheet rubber, composition and the block will cease. Whenthe sheet rubber composition has been properly vulcanized the blocks may be removedfrom the vulcanized hard rubber boxes that are thus formed leaving the bottom ribsthat were formerly located in'the channels or slots 30 andthe bottom 31 and the sides of the box formed practically into a unitary structure. 1 e When itis desired to insert a new coil 9 upon the spool 3 the bracket 4 maybe rotated upward and a dog 39 maybe pressed rearwardly so-astoengagein the recess or notch 40 and hold the bracketyinfitsraised position. When it is desired to permit the coil 9 again to rest upon the drum 10 the dog 39 may be released from the notch 40 and the bracket 4 to drop or lower so as to cause the coil 9'to rest on the drum 10.

I claim 1. In a battery box forming machine, a

spool for supporting a sheet rubber composition, a drum, means for permitting the sheet rubber composition located on the spool to ride on the drum, means for skiving and cutting portions of the sheet rubber composition, means for guiding the movements of the skiving means across the face of the drum, a mold for receiving the sheet rubber composition from the drum, and means for rotating the mold and the drum.

2. In a battery box forming machine, a spool for supporting a sheet rubber composition, a drum, means for permitting the sheet rubber composition located on the spool to ride on the drum, means for skiving and cutting portions of the sheet rubber composition, means for guiding the movements of the skiving means across the face of the drum, a mold for receiving the sheet rubber composition. from the drum, means for rotating the mold and the drum, a roller,

and means for causing the roller to rest upon the sheet material located on the mold, the

roller having a spinning end for turning the edge of the sheet material located on the mold inward over one end of the mold.

3. In a battery box forming machine, a-

spool to ride on the drum, means for skiving and cutting portions of the sheet rubber composition, means forguiding the movements of theskivmg means across the face of the drum, a mold for receiving the sheet rubber composition from the drum, means for rotating the mold and the drum, a roller, and means for causing the roller to rest upon the sheet material located on'the mold, the roller having a spinning end for turning the edge of the sheet material located on the mold inward overone end of the mold, a plunger member for supporting the bottom piece of sheet rubber composition, and means for causing the plunger to press the bottom piece againstthe end of the mold'and the inturned flange.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

STEWART E. HALL. 

